At least 10 people died and eight are missing after a trawler carrying 21 people capsized off the south coast on Sunday morning.
The 9.77-ton Dolphin was found at around 6:30 a.m. near Chuja Island, north of the southern resort island of Jeju, according to rescuers.
Three fishermen held on to the capsized vessel and were rescued by a nearby trawler. They were flown by helicopter to a hospital in Jeju and are in good condition.
Rescuers are searching for the eight missing fishermen in nearby waters.
The trawler set off from Chuja for Haenam, South Jeolla Province around 7:25 p.m. on Saturday and lost contact around 20 minutes later. It was scheduled to arrive at around 10 p.m.
A captain working for the same proprietor who set off for the open sea the same evening said, "Due to bad weather we felt we couldn't continue and turned back, attempting several times to contact the Dolphin. But we only got a short response saying 'Wait,' and lost contact."
Coast guards believe the vessel capsized in high waves. One survivor said, "We set off in bad weather, and when the ship's engine stopped the captain told us to go outside. The waves were very high at the time and the boat capsized after a loud thud."
